Five Courses to Teach Anyone (Even You) How to Code

HOW TO CASH IN ON DALLAS’ NEW CURRENCY: CODING

Dallas has evolved into a tech hubthat holds its own against the biggest tech cities in the country. We’ve earned our status as the “New Tech South” and an innovation center with more than 3,000 tech companies and well over 200,000 tech professionals. So, it makes sense that people who can code are in high demand—median coding salaries in Dallas hover around $70,000 and go up from there. Whether you’re just starting out, starting over, or looking to take your career to a new level, Dallas is a great city in which to build a tech career and opportunities abound to join the ranks of companies innovating and pioneering new technologies.

We’ve earned our status as the “New Tech South” and an innovation center with more than 3,000 tech companies and well over 200,000 tech professionals.

I should know. Several years ago, I walked away from a successful company I had built from the ground up to return to my technical roots. This meant starting at the bottom, teaching myself a new programming language, and climbing the ranks at a prominent mobile development agency. I’ll be honest: it was a lot of work, and I met countless obstacles along the way. But, I was successful because I surrounded myself with the best mentors I could find and was committed to perfecting my craft.

Now, I should disclose that I have a degree in computer science. But, I hadn’t touched code in seven years. Not to mention, all the most marketable programming languages and technologies didn’t even exist when I was in college. My coding education was an independent study pieced together from countless resources, programs, and instructors.

With determination and patience, you can change your life and be part of our innovation community. Just like I did.

Today, learning to code is more accessible than ever. There are dozens of great coding schools in the Dallas area, so you don’t have to go it alone. In less than two years, I won multiple awards for my work and was invited to attend the UK G8 Innovation and DNA Summits. I dramatically increased my marketability, received countless inbound emails from recruiters every week, and created the career I’d always wanted. I share this not to tout my accomplishments, but to showcase that with determination and patience, you can change your life and be part of our innovation community. Just like I did.

LOTS OF OPTIONS

Thanks to the growing tech scene, aspiring coders as well as experienced professionals looking to retool, have a lot of options for coding education. Online training programs are setting up live programs, established programs from other tech hubs are launching local branches, and new code schools are opening their doors right here in our backyard. While some bootcamps are full-time, immersive programs that take you from start to finish, others cater to the working professional who needs to moonlight as a student in their spare time. Regardless of program type, the best programs can take someone completely new to coding and turn them into an entry-level, professional coder and help thrust them into our innovative tech community.

Fortunately for the Dallas tech scene, these programs are popping up everywhere, with several strong options now available to us right here:

Coding Dojo: With offices in Silicon Valley, Seattle, and Los Angeles, Coding Dojo is now expanding to Dallas. You can reserve seats for their Dallas Onsite Flex Bootcamp, which will start on March 21, 2016.

DevMountain: This Utah-based program (Provo and Salt Lake City) is now offering a Web Dev Immersive course in Dallas starting February 1, 2016. This full-time course is perfect for beginners, amateurs, and even the experienced coder. Housing is available downtown on a first-come, first-serve basis.

EpicU: This application-only, free, one-year trade school teaches you how to code and prepares you for an apprenticeship.

Guild of Software Architects: Located in the North Texas Enterprise Center (NTEC) in Frisco, this program focuses on mobile app development (iOS and Android) and features an apprenticeship. Its first cohort launches on January 4, 2016.

NoD Code Classes: This three-month course is held twice a year at the NoD co-working space. Learn the fundamentals of computer programming and web development with a 24/7 membership to the co-working space.

Tech Talent South: Located in The Grove co-working space in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, this program includes web and design and an intro to programming, big data, and analytics for business professionals. It even has a free course to teach kids to code.
Coding is an exciting and challenging field that stretches your creativity, imagination, and analytical skills. There is always something new to learn, and as long as technology is part of our lives, coding will be a viable and profitable career. Thankfully, Dallas is a growing tech and innovation hub and prominent code schools are springing up to bridge the divide between demand for tech talent and the talent pool itself.

Lauren Hasson is a Dallas-based startup and technology adviser with a background in business, finance, and engineering. Her experience includes time as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley in thei(...)